Daniel i



' @mtime @met @una IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR BUNELING WOOD.'-

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To ALL vWnoM 1r MAY eoNcEn'N:

Beit known that I, DANIEL D. SnEawooD, ot' Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Bundling Wood; andl do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this spccica-tioln'is a description of my invention suiiieient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

y The invention relates to a construction or organization of mechanism for bundling kindl'mg-wood. It is well known that fire-wood, for kindling purposes, is, to a considerable extent, prepared for sale insmall quantities ready for use, by `sawing the logs into very short and uniform lengths, of from iive to eight inches, splitting these pieces into sticks of an inch to two inches in thickness, and tying these sticks into small bundles, Veach containing perhaps from twenty-five to fifty sticks, the sawing and. splitting being mostly effected by l machine.

The object of my invention has been to devise a ready means for packing 'the sticksV in round bundles, of uniform size, and for application of the eonining-string around cach bundle when so packed; and the invention consists primarily ir'. combining with semicircular hoops or jaws, which are bolted together for stuffing the wood between them, springs or mechanism vfor releasing the wood from the pressure of the jaws when the.

bundling is effected; also, in arranging two pairs ofsuch jaws with a provision between them for disposing the confining-cord in position, tobc drawn around the sticks when they are ready for tying; also, in connecting with the lower jaws a. trcadle for bringing them together.

The drawings represent a machine embodying` the invcntiom- A showing a front elevation, and B a plan of the same. a denotes a bed-piece, supporting, on uprights I), a table, c'. On this table is a frame, d, having two cross-shelves c, for supporting, in connection with the table c, two pairs of semicircular jaws or bandsf; and in connection with such bands, and for supporting in upright position thecollection of sticks to be bundled, cach shelf has a circular opening cut through it, made somewhat larger in circumference, however, than the inner circumference of the jaws when closed together. Between the shelves is a space, g, which allows the bow or bend in the coniuiug-string to be pressed back beyond the circular opening in the lower shclfya stop-wall, L, being placed uponthe shelf, in rear of its opening, to bring the string to. position when entered between the shelves. The two jaws of the upper set are hinged, at z', to the upper shelf or platform, their front ends being confined together, when the jaws are closed,`

by a bolt, c. Two springs, l, spread open the jaws when the bolt is withdrawn, suitable stops being used to determine the extent of opening. The .lower jaws are similarly hinged to the table c, are coniined together by a bolt, n, and when released from said bolt, are drawn openby springs o;l The upper jaws are closed by hand,

, but as the location of the lower ones does not freely admit of this, provision is made for closing them by oot,

this provision consisting 'in two bent levers, p, pivoted beneath the table c, and connected by a. link, g, to n trcadle, 7, the upperA arms of the levers bearing against the jaws, so that by depressing the treadle, the jaws will be brought together, as will be readily understood. p j

The apparatus is operated as follows: The two sets of jaws are first brought together, the upper one by hand, and the lower one by depression of the treadle, and are conned by their respective bolts. Then the coniining-cordis thrust in between the shelves, the bend in the cord being guided and stopped by the wall lz, the two end s of the string being left projecting from the front of the shelf. The sticks of wood are'tben stuffed ondwisc into the jaws or rings, as seen ih the drawings, until they so completely fill the circular space that nomore sticks can be inserted, the lower ends of the sticks coming down upon the tabie, and being thereby brought into the same plane. The confining-cord is then drawn tightly around the sticks, and the ends arey tied. This being accomplished, the bolts ,are withdrawn, when the springs will instantly throw back the jaws, leaving the tied bundle in condition to be readily removed from the machine. I

The apparatus maybe located directly beneath a convcyingspout, leading from thc sawing and splitting room, so that the loose wood may be delivered directly upon the machine, and u roadway, s, may be arranged on one' side of the table c, so that, as the bundles are removed from the jaws, they may be deposited upon this roadway, as seen at A, and pressed buck, one against tho other, that they may drop oifat the renr of tho table, as will be readily understood. i

The arrangement of the parts of' the apparatus, as shown, enables the bundling to be rapidly effected in such manner that each bundle shall contain a. fixed amount of wood, the clamped jaws acting ns inexible gauges while the bundle is being made up, while, by applying the springs, each end or" the bundle is released from the grasp of the jaws when the belts are withdrawn.

I claim, in combination with tbe table e, the hinged jawsf, having bolts for confining them together, and springs for throwing them apart, arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Also, the arrangement of tne two sets of jews, with the shelf or shelves, and space between, substantially es shown and described.

Also, in combination with the lower jaws and their expanding springs, the treadle, arranged to bring them together, substantially as described.

DANIEL D. SHERWOOD.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, L. H. LATIMER. 

